Luggage cases are often used for travelers to transport items. Among various types of luggage cases, hard side luggage cases have gained popularity. Hard side luggage cases may typically include two opposing shells, closure and/or locking mechanisms attached to the shells, carry handles, telescoping handles, and wheels. The shells of hard side luggage cases may be made from polymeric materials, which may allow the shells to retain their shape upon impact yet still flex to a certain extent to absorb the impact. Compared to soft side luggage panels, which may generally be made from fabric materials, hard side luggage shells may withstand abrasion, punctures, contaminants, such as dirt and moisture, among other things, better than soft side luggage panels and last longer than soft side luggage panels. Depending on the materials used for forming the shells of the hard side luggage case, the hard side luggage cases may have a weight comparable to, in some cases even lighter than, the weight of soft side luggage cases.
Still, there is room for improvement in hard side luggage cases. In a typical hard side luggage case, peripheral components, such as handles and locks, may usually be attached to the exterior of the luggage shells and project or extend outwardly from the outer surface of the luggage shells. Such projection or extension may increase the luggage's exterior dimensions as measured by airline services and can reduce the amount of interior space available for storing items in the luggage, which may be undesirable for luggage items subject to size restrictions, such as carry-on luggage. Another issue with projected peripheral components is these components may experience more bumps, scuffs or abrasions, among other things, as compared to the shells during usage. As a result, the luggage case may not function well because of damaged locks or handles that need to be repaired or replaced even though the shells may have no or little damage. For a similar reason, the closure mechanism between the shells, such as a zipper mechanism, may be more likely to be damaged due to their raised profile from the luggage shell exterior.
Some hard side luggage cases may employ a latch/locking mechanism instead of a zipper mechanism. Shells of such suitcases may generally be heavy and thick in order to provide sufficient rigidity for the shells to retain their shapes and to form a proper seal/closure at the opposing edges/rims where the two shells meet. Some hard side cases may utilize peripheral frames to reinforce the shells along the edges/rims thereof so that lighter shells may be used. Such peripheral frames do not protect the peripheral components, such as handles and/or locks, from scuffs, abrasions as discussed above since the locks and handles still remain raised from the outer surface of the luggage case. Alternatively, heavy-duty components may be used to improve the durability. These components may, however, increase the cost and/or the weight of the luggage cases.
Documents that may be related to the present disclosure in that they include various approaches to hard side luggage construction include WO2010/029580, WO2010/029581, WO2010/029583, GB1056139, U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,071, U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,476, CN201403677, and CN202051108. These proposals, however, may be improved.
It is therefore desirable to provide an improved luggage construction, in particular an improved hard side luggage construction, which addresses the above described problems and/or which more generally offers improvements or an alternative to existing hard side luggage structures and construction methods.